Number 97
by tabbytwoshoes
Summary: She fears for her life in the Department of Mysteries. While Lucius Malfoy waits impatiently for the prophecy, Daisy Knight feels she must confess her deepest secret concerning Neville Longbottom to Harry. Oneshot. NL/OC or HP/OC, former used


_~Number 97~_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Everything besides my OC, Daisy Knight, was created by J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N: This is a pretty good story methinks but I feel like I might have messed up epically in terms of choosing the right words lmao. Read and review anyways. I'll gladly take constructive crits, writing tips, comments, praise, etc, but destructive crits really get my goat :] I modelled this fic on the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix. I completely forgot about Harry's minor fling with Cho Chang while I was writing this so I guess it`s ever so slightly AU. :B**

**This is also the first fanfic that I've decided to make public so please take that into consideration.**

------------------------------

As the black clouds stopped swirling frantically around us, I blinked a few times to wake up my dizzying brain. Looking around, I saw that all of us except Harry had been captured, almost hostage-like, by the Death Eaters, their wands at our throats and temples. Out of all the Death Eaters in the room, I only recognised Bellatrix Lestrange. She had grabbed someone by the hair and was pulling his or her head back, her wand was pressing down on that person's throat; she clearly had a deathwish… I let my vision come into focus… it was Neville…

"NEVILLE!!!" I screamed.

But a wand had been pulled from its holder, so it no longer resembled a cane, and placed fiercely at my throat.  
A cane…?

Lucius Malfoy had restrained me.

"Did you actually believe," chuckled Lucius. There was a soft but threatening tone in his voice. "… that children stood a chance against us?"  
I felt hate burning in my veins.  
"We may just be children, Malfoy, but unlike you, we know what's right and what's wrong!" I shouted at Lucius, turning my head to face him with great difficulty.

His wand pressed harder on my throat. I felt like I was going to choke.  
"SILENCE, MUDBLOOD!" he bellowed. His voice bounced off the cold stone walls of the Department of Mysteries.  
My hands curled into fists.

Turning back towards Harry, Lucius continued. "I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now…"  
He held out his hand towards Harry, expecting him to place the shining crystal ball right in his palm like a good little boy.

"… Or watch your friends die."  
Lucius savoured the last word like it was a delicious treat. If he was given the choice of Harry's prophecy or our deaths, clearly he would find it difficult to choose between the two.  
Harry hesitated, as an uncomfortable silence loomed over us. The suspense was so hard to bear, I couldn`t stand a second of it –

Neville spoke again.  
"Don't give it to him, Harry!"  
Bellatrix shushed him, and placed her wand menacingly at his temple.  
I feared for his life.

"NEVILLE!!!" I screamed again, writhing like a woodland animal in a trap, trying to free myself from Lucius' grasp.

Instead of silencing me again, Lucius simply chuckled.  
"Oh, I see…" he drawled. I prepared myself for his verbal onslaught. "Little Miss Mudblood here seems to be especially concerned for Neville Longbottom's safety…!"

I berated Lucius again. "You bloody well bet I am! We've been best friends since our FIRST -" I stamped on Lucius' foot with each word. "- BLOODY – YEAR!!! Why SHOULDN'T I be concerned for his bloody safety, MALFOY?!? HUH?!?!?"  
He smirked, and continued. "What I was suggesting was… that you harbour certain, shall we say… romantic feelings for your 'best friend' Longbottom here."  
Embarrassment flooded my face.

I did not know how to retaliate, so I bit down on Lucius' arm.  
He flinched, releasing me unintentionally. I stumbled and ran to the middle, near the archway. Running towards Bellatrix – towards Neville – would only give Lucius the satisfaction.  
I turned towards Harry.

"Harry, you really don't have to give him that prophecy," I whispered to him. "What use is it to him? What's he going to want to do with it???"  
Harry turned towards me and whispered back, "I wouldn't want to get you all killed, especially not Ginny…"  
He then blushed and turned his face away from mine.

Ginny?  
But what about his best friends… Ron? Hermione?  
It became clear to me now.  
Ginny must have fallen for Harry since he rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets in our second year.  
Harry must have been feeling the same.

"I understand. I'm afraid of death." I replied. "But…"  
I had to pick my words out ever so carefully. But it's difficult to find the right ones sometimes if you're me.

"That prophecy says… something about this… 'one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord' being, um… 'born as the seventh month dies'… isn't, um, your birthday… a day after Neville's?"

Harry nodded shakily.  
"So…" I continued, nervously, like I would be killed on the spot if I said the wrong thing. "That – the prophecy, it could be about… either one of you…"  
Harry's eyes widened, as if he had never considered this before.

"Really?"  
"Yeah," I nodded. "I want you to know this… I just can't let Neville know, not yet…" A lump was forming in my throat where, not long ago, Lucius Malfoy's wand had been. "But in case we don't make it out of here alive, just know this, Harry… please…"

Choking back tears, I staggered towards Harry and whispered in his ear.

"… I think – I think I love him…"

I gave Harry a moment to digest this. When he turned his face to look at me, I blushed, looked at the floor and let the tears fall down my face.

It was such a relief to get this off my mind… But why couldn't I have done it at a better time? Like when we were walking back to the Gryffindor common room after one of our Dumbledore's Army meetings, so he'd know what I'd thought about when I produced my best Patronus Charm, and understand why?  
But I guess that when you feel like this is the last day of your life, you just can't let things go unsaid.  
"So you know why I don't wanna die… We'd never see each other again, and I'd never be able to let him know…"

Harry looked over his shoulder at Neville, still being held captive by Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman who had tortured Neville's parents into insanity…  
I couldn't help thinking how beautifully fragile Neville looked, even as he put on a brave face.

Then Harry looked back at me again, placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded to show he'd understood.

"It's alright, Daisy."  
"Thank you, Harry…"

Lucius was clearly getting impatient. "The prophecy, Harry. Give it to me." he snarled.

I stepped backwards a few paces.  
Harry was walking slowly towards Lucius. When they were face to face, he shakily placed the prophecy in the palm of the older man's hand.  
The lights inside the prophecy went out.

"See, Malfoy?" I snarled at Lucius. "That prophecy's useless to you."  
Lucius ignored me and held the prophecy high, admiring it as if it were a work of art. A kind of heavenly aura shined nearby, but it did not come from him. Why would it come from such a black-hearted cad as Lucius Malfoy?

"Get away from my godson."

Every face in the room turned towards the source of that voice.  
The figure walked towards Lucius and punched him right in his sickeningly smug face.

That voice, that punch came from Harry's godfather. Sirius Black.

_~Fin~_

------------------------------

**If you can see this bold font: Yay, you read it :D If you could review it, that'd be great.**


End file.
